Lock washer



C. G. OLSON LOCK WASHER Feb. 23, 1932.

Filed Aug. 7, 1930 thereof taken substantially along the line.

Patented Feb. 2 3, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 7 CARL G. OLSON, 01:1 CHICAGO ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SHAKEPROOF LOCK WASHER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORIORATION OI DELAWARE LOCK WASHER Application filed August '7, 1830. Serial 280-473,!553.

My invention relates generally to lock washers but morepartic'ularly to lock washers of the type formed from flat spring stock and provided with a plurality of marginal work engaging teeth.

One of the ob ects of my present invention is to provide a lock washer of the pronged type in which the prongs are of such a-constrnction as to reduce the possibility of tearing or distorting the stock at the roots of the prongs when said prongs are deflected out or the plane of the washer proper.

More specifically, my invention contem aboveset forth in which a plurality of radialslots are provided along one margin thereof,

said slotsbeing rounded at their inner extremities whereby to enable the gradual defleeting of a tooth or prong out of the plane of the washer at the root thereof.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a lock washer constructed in accordance with the teachings v when lock washers are constructed in accordof myinvention; and

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view This lock washer is formed from flat spring stock and includes an annular body portion 12 provided with a plurality of internal marginal prongs 14. Spaces of cut-outs 1-6 serve to separate these prongs and particular attention is directed to the arrangement of the roots of the prongs adjacent the inner ends of the radial cut-outs.\

It will be seen that I provide an arcuate or curved edge, 18 which extends between adjacent prongs. By this arrangement I am able to deflect the radial edges of the prongs 14 out of the plane of'the' body portion 12 Without tearing or otherwise disfiguring the stock at the roots of the prongs. In other Words, in deflecting opposite radial edges'of the prongs 14 so as to provide work engaging edges 20,, Igradually increase the degree of deflection from the center portion of the curved edge 18 to a point opposite the straight side of the prong and from this point the prong is uniformly deflected so as to present the work engaging edges 20 which are spaced from theplane of the washer body and are disposed in substantial parallelismth'erewith. I L r It should be noted that the teeth or work engaging edges 18 are displaced out of the I plane of the washer stock an amount which the type which forms the subject matter of my present invention, it is preferable to displace the washer teeth to the described degree in order to obtain increasedlocking'efiiciency.

From the'foregoing it will be apparent that ance with the teachings of my invention, the prongs thereof may be warped or deflected out of the plane of the washer stock without the slightest possibility of fracturing or tearing the stock at the point Where the prongs connect with the body portion. This is of utmost importance in connection with the manufacture of lock washers of the present type because when the stock is torn or broken as a result of the forming operation in a punch press, the strength of the washer is materially reduced. While I have disclosed in r V the drawings a lockwashcr in which the oppositely disposed portions of the prongs pre 10o sent parallel work engagin ed es, it will be cutting edge ofeach prong beginning at the apparent that other types %100 ing edges or root thereof and extending he really so as to corners may be formed without. departing blend with the marginal e ge of the next adfrom the s irit and scope of the present injacent pron at the root thereof, whereby to vention. 11 other words,the curved portions present a he ical configuration which enables at the roots of the prongs serve with equal efsaid edges to be deflected out of the plane of fectiveness to prevent stock fracture and tearthe washer stock without subjecting the poring in connection with washers equipped with tion thereof adjacent said roots to the possi-- various types of locking prongs. It might be bility of fracture and whereby to increase the 39 stated that the prongs proper are not deflectstrength of the root of the prong for countered out of the plane of the washer stock, but acting the tendency of the lprong to flatten only the edges thereof. These edges lie in when clampedagainsta wor piece. parallel planes'throughout the length of the In witness whereof, I have hereunto 'subprongs with the exception of the portions of scribed my name. f 5 said prongs positionedalong the curved bot- CARL G. OLSON.

tom or inner edges of the slots, where they are formed into, a helix resembling a screw thread.- In other words, the edge on one side of each slot helically joins the corresponding edge on the opposite side of said slot. Thus 95 the semicircular bottom portions of the slots provide edges which are helicall disposed and gradually blend with the wor engaging edges 20, which lie in parallel planes spaced 25 from the washer body.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows: 1. A look washer of fiat spring stock including an annular body portion and a plurality of pron s spacedalong a margin thereof, said prongs ing spaced by radial. notches, the

root portion of each prong being curved so. 7 that the curvature of one root blends into the curvature of the next adjacent root, marginal portions of said prongs being deflectedout of 35 the plane of the body portion so as to present oppositely disposed work engagin edges lying in planes spaced from and su stantially parallel with the plane of the body portion, the edge forming a continuation of the cutting edge of each prong beginning at the root 9 thereof and extending helically so as to blend with the marginal edge of the next adj acent prong at the root thereof, whereby t present a helical configuration which ena. 1s said edges to'be' deflected out of the plane of the washer stock without subjecting'the portion thereof adjacent said roots to the possibility of fracture and whereby to increase the strength of the-rootofthe prong for counteracting the tendency of the prong to flatten I when clampedagainst a work piece.

2. A look washer of flat-spring stock including "an annular body portion and a plurality of prongs spaced along one margin thereof, said prongs being spaced by radial notches, 1 the root portion of each prong being curved so that the curvature of one root blends into the curvature of the next adjacent root, marginal portions of said prongs being deflected out of the plane of the body portion'so'asto 3 present oppositely disposed work, engaging A edges lyingin planes spaced'fromi the body portion a distance less than the thickness of the stock and parallel with s'aidbodyportion,-the edge forming a continuation'of the 

